$1.3bn World Cup stadium hosting France-Spain semifinal has unusual defect and was blamed for ‘surprise’ goal

France and Spain go head-to-head in a blockbuster World Cup semifinal on Tuesday.

The two European heavyweights will meet at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, for what could be the most exciting match of the 2026 tournament to date.

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A spot in the World Cup final is up for grabs, but to get there, the winning team will not only have to overcome a historic rival, but also negotiate some unusual stadium conditions.

AT&T Stadium, home of the five-time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, is a spectacular structure.

Built at a cost of $1.3 billion by team owner Jerry Jones, it’s regarded as one of the top sporting venues in the United States, and has been renamed as Dallas Stadium this summer due to FIFA’s strict branding rules.

However, it has a couple of defects.

World Cup semifinal venue blamed for ‘surprise’ goal

After England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening World Cup fixture at AT&T Stadium, talkSPORT commentator Jim Proudfoot suggested the air conditioning was a factor in Croatia’s first goal.

Proudfoot, was surprised Jordan Pickford couldn’t do enough to keep out Martin Baturina’s long-range strike.

The England No. 1 got a hand to the shot, but the power took it past him.

Speaking on the talkSPORT Daily Podcast, Proudfoot analysed Pickford’s opening performance and suggested AT&T’s air conditioning may have had an effect on the ball.

“I’m very surprised the first goal went past him having seen the replay. Even though it was hit with brute force, you can see he got a hand to it,” Proudfoot said.

“It hit the inside of his hand and went in through the space between his head and his hand as he dived.

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“Maybe there was a bit more movement with these match balls. I don’t know whether air conditioning may play a part in that because altitude does.

“I was surprised it went past him, I’m sure most keepers in the tournament would be frustrated and I’m sure Pickford is disappointed with it.

“However, it wasn’t just down to him, there was a catalogue of errors leading up to the goal.”

England recovered from the setback of conceding Baturina’s ‘air-assisted’ goal, and ran out comfortable winners earlier in the tournament.

But Tuesday’s semifinal could well be decided by just one moment, and both France and Spain will hope the air conditioning won’t be a major factor this time around.

AT&T Stadium, though, has another bizarre quirk.

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FIFA made major change to $1.3bn stadium for World Cup

Giant glass walls at either end zone allow fans to see right through AT&T on NFL gamedays.

Cowboys owner Jones is a massive fan of the unique feature, but his players have struggled in the past with the light that shines onto the field.

In 2024, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and his teammates kicked up a fuss when he dropped a pass because the sun was in his eyes.

Jones, though, was unmoved by the suggestion that he should put a massive curtain up.

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“By the way, we know where the sun is going to be when we flip the coin, so we do know where the damn sun is going to be in our own stadium,” he said at the time.

“Let’s just tear the damn stadium down and build another one. Are you kidding me?”

While one dropped touchdown wasn’t enough for Jones to install a curtain for NFL games, FIFA has been far more strict for the World Cup.

Massive blackout curtains were put up to block the sun on the stadium’s west end ahead of the game between Japan and Sweden last month.

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The decision to put up curtains in AT&T is made on a game-by-game basis, and comes at FIFA‘s discretion, as it has operational control of all stadiums this summer.

Should curtains be needed for France vs Spain, they will be there, even if it irritates Jones and Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

“It’s not as majestic,” Schottenheimer said last month of AT&T’s blackout.

“(Soccer fans are) gonna miss the experience.”

Fan experience, of course, is important. But so too is ensuring a huge World Cup semifinal clash goes off without a hitch.